Michigan Gardener - Your guide Great Lakes gardening: Garden Event Calendar / Expert Advice / Plant Profiles / Tree Care

PLEASE NOTE: In the autumn of 1995, we hatched the idea for a free, local gardening publication. The following spring, we published the first issue of Michigan Gardener magazine. Advertisers, readers, and distribution sites embraced our vision. Thus began an exciting journey of helping our local gardening community grow and prosper.
After 27 years, nearly 200 issues published, and millions of copies printed, we have decided it is time to end the publication of our Print Magazine and E-Newsletter.

Groundcover that handles foot traffic

January 28, 2019 • Leave a Comment

I would like to grow a fast-growing groundcover that is very short and can withstand being walked upon often and still look good. Are there any out there that survive in zone 4 and thrive in part sun to full shade?

First, you need to determine what “walked upon often” means in terms of frequency. Is it “light” (once or twice per day), “moderate” (about 6 times a day), or “heavy” (dozens of times per day)? The frequency of the daily traffic narrows the choices to those that can survive that impact. Second, you are limited in the number of hours of sun, and you want a fast grower. You may have to combine two or three species to satisfy all your criteria. Also remember that even though they are groundcovers, they will have tiny flowers that will call out to various insects and pollinators. An unwary bare foot could come away with an unpleasant sting.

Light traffic. Tiny creeping sedums make great groundcovers. They need little water and attention. They do grow moderately quickly if given the sunny section of your path. Sedum requieni will take the heaviest foot traffic in this group. Bugleweed (Ajuga) varieties do well in sun or shade. Ajuga “Chocolate Chip” is a small, tight groundcover whose leaves are a bronzy chocolate color.

Moderate traffic. Try creeping Jenny (Lysimachia) varieties. They prefer moist areas with partial shade. Their leaves are the size of dimes and they spread by runners. Wherever a leaf node lands, it will root. So it can rapidly fill in any given area. It can be considered invasive if not judiciously checked. L. nummularia ‘Aurea’ has chartreuse gold foliage and is often sold as a trailing plant for containers. L. japonica ‘Minutissima’ has super tight evergreen foliage. However, it is a slow grower. So combining two varieties of Lysimachia would give visual interest as well as quick coverage. Also take a look at Kew wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei ‘Kewensis’). It is evergreen all year, tolerates shade, harsh soil conditions, and averages 2 inches in height. This is a very durable groundcover, but coarser in texture than the lysimachias.

Heavy traffic. Thymes and Irish moss are the most durable choices. Thyme is a great survivor, tolerating being walked on many times a day. Look for creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) or woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus). Both will tolerate dry soil, are present spring through summer, and can handle zone 4 conditions. They tend to do better with more sun, but will tolerate partial shade. Irish moss (Sagina subulata) will form a very dense mat and is especially effective when combined with stepping stones. It likes moisture, prefers soil low in fertility, and enjoys dense shade. Homeowners often find it in their lawns when turf becomes thin and compacted.

Boxwood blight is detected in Michigan

January 12, 2019 • Leave a Comment

Boxwood blight, a serious fungal disease that attacks boxwoods, has been detected for the first time in Michigan. The disease was found in Oakland County in three separate locations: a landscape firm, a homeowner’s yard, and holiday wreaths for sale at a retail store. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) was also notified by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection that infected boxwood may have been sold at other retail locations in Michigan.

“Boxwood blight is a devastating disease that has caused significant losses to homeowners and the nursery industry in states that already have the disease,” said Gina Alessandri, director of MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division.

Boxwood blight produces dark brown leaf spots and causes rapid defoliation that sometimes kills young boxwoods. Boxwood blight first appeared in the 1990s in the United Kingdom and is now widely distributed in Europe. In the United States, the disease was first found in 2011 in Connecticut, North Carolina and Virginia, and has since spread to more than 24 states. Boxwood blight affects all species of boxwood. However, some species and cultivars are more susceptible than others. American boxwood and English boxwood are highly susceptible. This disease also affects the related shrub sweetbox, as well as pachysandra, a well-known groundcover. Boxwood and pachysandra are commonly used in commercial and residential plantings throughout Michigan.

Wreaths displayed outdoors are a potential concern if they are exposed to the elements. The biggest risk comes when people dispose of the infected wreaths after the holidays. MDARD recommends that anyone who has a wreath containing boxwood plant parts should consider it infected and dispose of it by burning or, even better, double-bagging and including it with their trash for deposit in a landfill.

Alessandri advised that anyone who suspects that they have plants infected with boxwood blight should contact their local MSU Extension office.

Famed rose breeder David Austin dies at age 92

January 3, 2019 • Leave a Comment

David Austin, the rosarian and founder of David Austin Roses Ltd., died in December, 2018 at age 92. Over the past 20 years, U.S. and Canadian gardeners came to know Austin as the creator of beautiful, fragrant English roses.

He bred more than 200 English roses during his extraordinary career. From a farming background, Austin developed a keen interest in old roses in his early twenties. He felt that although the old roses were charming and often had magnificent fragrances, they were lacking in the color diversity and repeat blooming common to the more modern hybrid teas. This belief was the basis for the collection of English roses that gardeners enjoy today. He set about creating an entirely new rose, which combined the beauty and fragrance of old roses with the benefits of modern roses. His first English rose was ‘Constance Spry,’ launched in 1961. Notable varieties include ‘Gertrude Jekyll’—twice voted England’s favorite rose—and more recently, ‘Olivia Rose Austin.’

David Austin Jr., son and Managing Director of the company for the last 25 years said, “My father was a remarkable man. His love for the art of rose breeding was truly inspiring; he loved nothing more than seeing the pleasure that his roses gave to others.
His presence will be sorely missed within the global family company that he created. But the passion he instilled will continue and we will hold true to my father’s vision when he founded the company almost 50 years ago.”

Digital Editions